The Steamboat Springs Sailors will take on the Delta Panthers at 5:30 p.m. on Friday.
Last Saturday, Steamboat Springs came up short against Moffat County and fell 43-30.
Despite their loss, Steamboat Springs saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Hailey Bender, who posted eight points and 12 boards, was perhaps the best of all. Mahlet Vanblarcum was another key player, putting up ten points and four steals.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Delta). They breezed by Moffat County to the tune of 68-38 on Friday. The win was familiar territory for the Panthers who have now won five games in a row.
Delta had a senior duo take command as Taylor Somers dropped a double-double on 14 points and 21 rebounds and Breezy Huff dropped a double-double on 12 points and 12 boards. The dominant performance gave Somers a new career-high in rebounds. The team also got some help courtesy of Paige Kehmeier, who had 12 points and seven steals.
Delta smashed the offensive glass and finished the game with 28 offensive boards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now pulled down at least 16 offensive rebounds in eight consecutive matches.
Delta has been performing well recently as they've won six of their last eight contests, which provided a nice bump to their 10-6 record this season. The wins came thanks to their offensive performance across that stretch, as they averaged 51.9 points per game. As for Steamboat Springs, they have traveled a rocky road recently having lost five of their last six games, which put a noticeable dent in their 4-11 record this season.
Rebounding is likely to be a big factor in this contest: Steamboat Springs has been crashing the boards this season, having averaged 25.1 rebounds per game. However, it's not like Delta struggles in that department as they've been averaging 34 boards. With both teams battling to corral missed shots, we'll see if one team can grab an edge.
Steamboat Springs was dealt a bruising 55-16 defeat at the hands of Delta in their previous meeting back in February of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of Huff, who went 6 for 11 en route to 15 points and four steals. Now that Steamboat Springs knows the damage she can cause, will they be able to stop her this time? There's only one way to find out.
